


Wat'chu lookin' at?

by Duck (Ziamln)



Category: Red Dead Redemption (Video Games)
Genre: Arthur Morgan Deserves Happiness, Arthur Morgan Does Not Have Tuberculosis, Arthur Morgan Lives, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, BAMF Arthur Morgan, Bandits & Outlaws, Chapter 1: Colter (Red Dead Redemption 2), Chapter 2: Horseshoe Overlook (Red Dead Redemption 2), Chapter 3: Clemens Point (Red Dead Redemption 2), Emotionally Constipated Arthur Morgan, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Smut, F/M, High Honor Arthur Morgan, Jealous Arthur Morgan, John marston is an idiot, Medium Honor Arthur Morgan, Period Typical Attitudes, Protective Arthur Morgan, Slow Burn, Video Game: Red Dead Redemption 2 (2018)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-30
Updated: 2020-07-12
Packaged: 2021-01-13 06:27:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 14
Words: 6,295
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21239657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ziamln/pseuds/Duck
Summary: When Arthur finds a lifeless body in the snowy mountains and decides to take it back he had no idea what it would bring about.





	1. Colter

**Author's Note:**

> Hopefully, this will go well.
> 
> I love Arthur Morgan.

“What the hell?” Arthur mumbled to himself as he trudged through the snow, having hopped off his horse.  
He saw in the middle of the mountains, an abandoned, dead horse and a bag not too far from it.  
“What the matter Arthur?” Javier said, stopping as he saw the man get up off his horse.

“Nothing, you carry on back to camp, I’ll be right behind you.” He replied shooing them off, wanting to see if the bag contained any money, and who its owner was.  
It was awfully odd for someone to have abandoned their horse and belongings on a snowy mountaintop such as this, his curiosity was piqued.

The horse didn’t appear to have been there long as it wasn’t too deeply buried in the snow, so whoever was here was only here a while ago, maybe a day ago tops, he figured.  
He picked up the leather bag and dug around in it searching for more clues.  
It was a woman’s bag, containing a key, hairbrush, a journal and a coin purse, with very few coins in it. He left it alone, just in case the woman was around, it could be a trap after all.

He went around the horse to see if there were any more tracks to maybe tell him where the woman had gone. As he observed carefully, he noticed some fading tracks that led into some nearby trees. Before heading there he hopped back on his horse and was sure to keep a gun handy, just in case.

He called out softly, not wanting to grab any attention from anything too big, having just fought off all the wolves from rescuing John.  
“Hello!” he called,  
Just then he realised he could smell the all familiar smell of the leftovers of a campfire, he followed the scent as best as he could using his cold nose.  
He soon found himself near a makeshift tent, consisting of tree branches and large leaves, he got off his horse once more and approached it cautiously, not knowing quite what to expect.  
It looked as though the fire had been out for a while now, and he began to question if the person would even still be alive. Still, he continued and pushed the leaves away from the entrance as a crouched to look inside,

A woman lay there, still, no sound of breathing and no detectable movement. Her hair was covered in frost and her lips looked blue but her face still looked rosy from the cold. Arthur took that as a possible sign of life as he lifted her off the ground and carried her over to his horse.


	2. Colter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters in less than an hour, cool.
> 
> Probably because I'm sweet on Arthur.
> 
> Hope you enjoy x

By the time he got back, it was really dark out, both he and the horse were tired, cold and hungry.  
He walked into the house greeted by the gang who were all relieved he wasn't dead.

“Jesus Arthur, we were just gonna send out a search party for you. Wait, who is that?” Dutch asked.

“I don't know, I found ‘er on the way back from picking up Marston’s stupid ass,” Arthur replied as he lay her down next to the small fire in the room.

"Look Arthur you know I'm all about helping people who need it but we don't have enough food for us let alone another extra mouth." Dutch whispered to Arthur.  
"So whaddya want me to go throw her back on that mountain?" Arthur questioned frowning at Dutch. 

"Is she even alive?" Dutch added knowing Arthur would be stubborn about this.  
"Think so, we'll see soon enough. She pro'ly got too cold or somethin' " Arthur replied.  
Dutch sighed. 

"Miss Grimshaw see what you can do about that lady Arthur just brought in." He spoke.  
"Let's hope she's not some sort of spy or something." He added before walking off. 

Arthur shook his head and went about warming himself up with some food if you could call it that. He took a seat with Hosea.  
"Have you and Dutch talked about how we're gonna get outta this?" Arthur questioned the older man.  
"Well when the weather breaks, I suppose we'll just have to keep heading East."  
"East? Into all that- that civilization?" Arthur responded in shock, the word causing a pit of disgust to form deep within him.  
"I know. But the West is where our problems are worse." Hosea answered, much to Arthur's dismay. 

Instead, he went about finishing his food and finding out what the deal was with the woman he had found.


	3. Colter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 3 chapters in a day because I'm impatient. I'll regret this when I get stuck. Hope you enjoy.

Most of the gang had gone to their rooms as it was quite late. 

"Anything Miss Grimshaw?" Arthur asked walking over to the fireplace. 

"She's alive. Barely. It just fathoms me what she was doing out there all alone in the first place." She replied. 

"You and me both." He added handing her the cup of warm water she attempted to get down the woman's throat. 

She sputtered awake choking on the water, struggling to sit up as she was still all wrapped up. 

"W-what? Where am I? Who are you?!" She got out once Arthur had sat her up whilst Susan unravelled the blanket off her head. Her voice sounded sore and she still looked pale despite her gold-tone complexion. 

"Easy there, Miss. I'm Arthur. That there is Miss Grimshaw." He said helping her sit up, gently lifting her by the arms. "You seem to have been on quite the adventure. Found you at the top of the mountain. Your horse was dead so I brought you here before the wolves got to ya." Arthur replied. 

Before she could respond she slumped back in his arms, passing out. 

"She's probably dehydrated and famished. Who knows how long its been since she ate." Miss Grimshaw said to Arthur as she attempted to get her to drink more water.   
"Just a second." She said going over to the table and getting some food.

"Yeah, that'll wake her up alright," Arthur said sarcastically, making a dig at the poor quality of the cooking. 

Susan rolled her eyes as she poured it in a bowl.   
"Thank you for your help Mr Morgan but I think I'll be alright with her now." She said, part of him wanted to protest.   
He was intrigued by the woman but instead, Arthur nodded getting up gently sitting the woman against the wall, not wanting to seem improper. 

"Be sure to let me know if you need any help. After all, I guess she is my responsibility." Arthur said before turning to leave for his room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know if you liked it! Thank you.


	4. Colter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> she's up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry lmao

Kaytie spent most of the night awake. Falling asleep out of dehydration and tiredness a few times throughout the night.   
She was up early and tried to gather her surroundings but it was all unfamiliar. A far cry from home. 

"Ah, you're awake?" Miss Grimshaw greeted walking into the room, preparing to boil some coffee. "You can clean up in the next room if you wish. The water is freezing, bare in mind." She added. 

"Yes, ma'am. I- uh- thank you." The younger woman responded going to clean herself up.   
As she stepped out she thanked Miss Grimshaw once again. 

"I didn't do anything. It was all Mr Morgan, he's the one you should be thanking." Susan replied tidying up whatever mess was left last night. 

As if in queue Arthur walked in.   
"Ah, you're up!" Arthur said as he walked in. 

"You're up early this morning, Arthur?" Grimshaw said. 

"Yeah, couldn't sleep much in this weather. But it was enough." He replied, Miss Grimshaw simply nodding in response. 

"How are you this morning Miss?" Arthur questioned. 

"Better. Thank you. Thank you very much. I'm Kaytie Rosa-Byrne" she replied. 

Arthur chuckled. "I'm Arthur Morgan. That's quite the name miss. Which one do you prefer?" He said. 

"Either, i don't mind. It’s because of my mixed background- Irish and Spanish" She explained. 

"Miss Rosa is probably more fitting." He said as he took in her image.   
She had thick dark hair and golden skin which was pale due to the cold. Her eyes were like emeralds; big, beautiful and green. She was slender but also had ample in the way of assets. 

Everything about her exuded femininity which just further confused Arthur about what she was doing in the mountains all alone like that.   
As he was about to question her on it Miss Grimshaw interrupted by alerting the whole camp that coffee was ready. 

"Are you alright Miss?" Arthur asked her as she reached for her blanket, ignoring whoever else walked in.   
"Yes, just a little hungry is all." She replied.   
So was he, after had his coffee he made a mental note to go and tear into Pearson.

Dutch made his way over to the pair accompanied by Hosea.   
“Good mornin’!” the pair greeted taking a seat with Arthur and Kaytie.  
"So Miss?" Dutch asked prompting for her name.   
"Miss Kaytie Rosa-Byrne. I settled on Miss Rosa." Arthur added.   
"Miss Rosa. I trust you were comfortable last night." Dutch started, Kaytie nodded in response.   
"May I ask just how a seemingly fine lady such as yourself ended up all alone way up in the mountains?" Dutch added.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have any suggestions let me know. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	5. Colter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yeehaw

"I went on the run." She started.   
The three men all shared a wary glance.   
“It’s not like that.” She quickly added.  
"Some people came after my family to rob us, I’m not sure who they were but they were dangerous, dangerous enough that my father told me to run, sent me on my way with some food and a horse."   
She continued by telling them that she didn't want to go but heard gunshots and screams and knew the only way she could get justice for her family was if she was still alive to do it.   
"So I left, they chased me for a while but I lost them when I headed up here." She explained. 

"Do you think they'll still be after you?" Arthur questioned.   
She responded by saying she didn't think so but wasn't sure, leaving the three men on edge. 

They were already running from the law, they didn’t need this extra threat looming over them, especially if she didn’t know who was after her family and whether the threat was eradicated or not?  
Nevertheless, thanks to Hosea, Dutch decided she would stay with them for now.   
Arthur wasn't sure about it but didn't say anything as he was the one who rescued her in the first place. That and he couldn’t exactly leave her out in the cold, they had no money to give her to help her either so, it wouldn’t work. It just meant Arthur would have to keep a closer eye on her.

He didn’t have anything against the woman, but his priority was always his loyalty to the gang.  
If anything happened, it was on his head.

Arthur listened to Pearson drone on about the Navy, wanting nothing more than for him to shut up. He took the opportunity to use the coals to warm himself up as a prize for not having punched the man.   
Most of his words were being drowned out by Arthur's thoughts but not quite enough.   
“I do not wish to hear about what'chu got up to in the navy, Mr Pearson,” Arthur stated bluntly.  
He continued regardless of Arthur’s statement.  
“And you unfortunately survived.” Arthur jested, irritation taking hold of him.  
Lucky for Pearson, Charles intervened, saying he would go hunting with Arthur.

“Assorted salted offal, starving would be preferable.” Arthur quipped after eyeing the label.  
“C’mon let’s go,” Charles said, trying to stop Arthur from arguing with Pearson.  
“You can't go hunting, look at your hand, you need to rest,” Arthur said.  
“You think this is rest?” Charles asked; he made a fair point.  
Everyone was hungry and cold, at least if they could find some decent game, everyone would have a decent meal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry i haven't updated in a while, I've been busy with uni deadlines and am currently dealing with a bad case of the flu. hopefully, i will get back to writing regularly again soon.
> 
> Thank you for reading.


	6. Colter

Kaytie was starting to familiarise herself with some of the gang members.  
The girls were quite friendly she found. Her favourite so far was Abigail and her son Jack.  
Her fella, John seemed a bit dense but nice enough.

It also turned out she wasn't the only newbie. They had also found another woman when they got some supplies.  
Mrs Adler. She was real quiet. But no one bothered her. 

As nice as everyone was Kaytie couldn't help her need to be alone. She crept out and slid into a nearby room. It was small but comfortable. There was a journal on the table but she didn't want to intrude and just sat on the edge of the bed grateful for some time alone to think.  
She had watched her brother get killed and those men take her mother and father, saying they would kill them if they didn't hand over their money and her.  
They did. She contemplated for a moment whether she should use the pistol in her bag or if she should simply go as her father had told her.  
She didn't have much choice in the decision as she heard her parents voices silenced by the sounds of guns.  
Why they had wanted her was beyond Kaytie, yes she belonged to a well off family but if they were going to take the money, why take her?  
She knew they didn't want to kill her because they simply would have shot her as they chased her. But instead, they chased her with nothing but a lasso. 

She was still tired and hungry she missed her bed back home and ended up dozing off forgetting where she was. 

"Miss Rosa." The deep voice woke her up.  
She didn't quite remember where she was until she took in the lighting and the man stood in front of her. 

"Mr Morgan. I am so sorry. I- I didn't mean to fall asleep. I just needed a moment alone I'm sorry. I didn't touch any of you thin-" she babbled, slightly flustered as she composed herself. 

"No worries ma'am just don't make a habit of it. But if someone sees you they may get the wrong impression. I may be an outlaw but I'm sure you have a reputation to maintain." Arthur said carefully watching her as she snuck out, a slight amusement playing within him at the mishap. 

"Kaytie where have you been?" Miss Grimshaw inquired as she entered the room.  
"Sorry, I just needed a moment alone." She returned, still startled.  
"That's quite alright. I was just wondering what happened as you didn't say before you left. You should be resting in your condition." Susan replied.  
She had been resting alright.


	7. Colter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a few more chapters til Colter is over

Arthur sat down that evening to write in his journal for the first time since they had arrived in Colter to camp.

'Found a girl up in the mountains. Not quite sure what her story is yet. She said she's on the run.   
I just hope she doesn't bring us more trouble than we are already in.   
But she could be worth quite a bit as her family was deemed robbable, the reason she had to leave.   
I found her in my tent earlier. It was quite amusing. I was curious as to what she was doing here.   
She's clearly not used to this life, falling asleep in a stranger's bed. She's lucky it was me and not that mongrel Micah.   
She's a pretty lady and you can tell she comes from money just by looking at her.   
Hosea and Dutch said I should keep an eye on her for now and we would decide what to do with her if we ever get off this mountain.'

Arthur wasn't sure about how he felt about the woman.   
She intrigued him, she was mysterious.   
He had a hunch she hadn't told them everything about her situation but he would figure it out eventually.   
After all, she was his responsibility, he had brought her here. 

It then occurred to Arthur that he had her bag with her belongings in.   
It had her journal in it. Could he really invade her privacy like that?   
It was without reason. He wanted to do it for the safety of the camp. He needed an inkling of who she was.   
He settled on just reading the last entry instead of the whole thing. He didn't want to overly pry. 

'Father packed the keys- he knew he was going to die. I guess its all down to me now. I know exactly who those men were. I need to get back so I can rip them apart myself.   
It's cold here and I only lost them by coming onto this mountain but I need to go back. Even if it’s just for a few moments. I will avenge my family.  
But first I need a plan.'

Clearly, there was a lot more to this woman than she had told him. There was wrath in her words and the veil of mystery surrounding her suddenly got thicker, making Arthur's urge to read more all the more difficult to suppress. But he did.   
He needed to return her belongings to her tomorrow.


	8. Colter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Happy holidays to all!

Arthur had gone out the next day with Dutch and some of the gang to go and see about some O’Driscolls hanging around and something about a train robbery they were planning,  
They managed to kill most of the men in a shootout and decided they’d hold one; Kieran Duffy for questioning on Colm O’Driscoll’s whereabouts and plans.

Dutch was preparing to rob some rich bastard by the name of Leviticus Cornwall. Lord knows they needed the money.

Thanks to the deer that Charles and Arthur had caught yesterday the gang was much more energetic. Kaytie was starting to feel stronger too, she decided to step outside for some air.  
Arthur was on his way to his tent mumbling something about someone being 'a damn fool' when he saw Kaytie and remembered her journal and then the fact that he still needed to return her belongings.  
"Miss Rosa. You're looking better, not passing out at least," he jested, walking over to her.  
Kaytie looked at him, a sheepish expression on her face.  
"I'm sorry about yesterday Mr Morgan." She spoke quietly. 

"S'okay. No harm done. And its Arthur. Actually, I have something of yours." He said waving her over to his tent. 

"What is it?" She replied following him into his tent. 

"Your bag. I believe it had a few of your things in there. I didn't really check. But yeah." He said handing over the bag knowing he was lying about not having checked anything. 

"Thank you so much, Mr Morgan!" She said gleefully not quite registering when she had hugged him.  
As soon as she did she mentally cursed herself.  
"I'm so sorry Mr Morgan." She said embarrassed, backing away slightly. 

"If you ain't careful that may just become your tagline." He chuckled lightly, scratching the back of his head sheepishly, suddenly becoming aware of how small the tent really was.  
"Don't worry about it and its Arthur." He reaffirmed shaking off his thoughts. 

"Thank you, Arthur." She smiled weakly. 

Arthur tipped his hat at her still feeling slightly flustered from her embrace. 

"You don't know how much this means. It’s very important to me." She said genuinely, turning to leave before she made more of a fool of herself.  
Her statement-making him wish he would've read more of the journal.


	9. Horseshoe Overlook

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let's just say writer's block is the worst, but I'm starting to work on some new chapters so I'll be uploading better ones than this one soon, sorry.

The next day, Arthur proceeded to loot the train with some of the gang. It was moderately successful.  
Kaytie wouldn’t admit it but when all the men except Arthur had shown up afterwards she had worried until they explained he was cleaning up the mess, something she quickly came to learn he did a lot of.  
She felt more relaxed in the camp when he was around because he was the one who had brought her here and the only reason she had found almost some form of home amongst these outlaws.

Arthur found her to be quite the mystery, it intrigued him and made for good writing but when it came to the best interests of the camp he was a bit more wary of her, as much as he didn't mind the woman he would not for a second put her ahead of the camp if such a situation arose. Something about the feeling she caused within him made him all the more cautious towards her.

Once the train had been dealt with, it was time for the gang to make their way elsewhere, at this point Kaytie had pondered on leaving, but she knew it would not be safe for herself and she could end up alerting people to the whereabouts of the gang without meaning to and she didn't want to risk doing so after how kind they had been to her over the past few weeks.

They were all glad to be getting away from the snow they had all grown sick of.  
The camp was packed up quickly thanks to Miss Grimshaw’s steady instructions and the fast work of the gang. By the time Arthur had returned from the train the camp was packed and ready to go. 

Kaytie had to travel with him and Hosea as the other carriages were packed with gang members and items that were needed for camp, she didn’t really mind as Hosea had been kind and she was curious to know more about Arthur, the man who had rescued her.  
Hosea explained they would be moving to a place known as ‘horseshoe overlook’. It was a pleasant enough place. It was sprouting, the sun shone charmingly covering the camp area and there was a little stream not too far off. The fields were wonderful for riding and there was a town called Valentine very nearby. 

Arthur and Hosea were not entirely thrilled about having to move further East but Dutch had said they had no other option, a few people had doubted that judgement, but no one had openly opposed him, even if they had cause to.  
Soon enough they had reached the campsite. Everyone was in much better spirits as they set up camp, the ladies asking Arthur to take them to town to which he reluctantly agreed, especially after hearing that Kaytie would be joining them.


	10. Horseshoe Overlook

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm your huckleberry.

Kaytie had realised that Arthur was indeed a very funny man. From his digs at uncle to his commentary on other people, she found him to be quite humorous indeed. 

On the journey, the girls had started singing. Kaytie had always enjoyed it but her mother had always told her to do it in private so that she didn't attract attention like some sort of fille de joie. But admittedly once the girls had persuaded her to join in she found it much more liberating. 

"Why Kaytie, your voice, it's beautiful. You take the next verse by yourself." Karen pushed. Kaytie reluctantly agreed, having seen Arthur's sidewards glance at her. 

Arthur was stunned. Her voice was like that of a siren. He was suddenly thankful that uncle was there to help steer the horses as he momentarily lost his thoughts of anything that wasn't Kaytie.  
This was all the conclusion Arthur needed: she was dangerous. Maybe not to the camp at the present moment. But to him. He didn't know how to describe the feeling, but he wasn't sure he liked it. Last time he'd felt something remotely similar he ended up looking like a fool, he was not about to do that again. 

Once they arrived in the town they all dispersed to do their dealings. Kaytie wasn't quite sure what to do with herself. Normally when she was out it was with friends or cousins whom she would shop with. But instead for the first time she was all alone. All her money and her parent's money was with the bank so there was no way of retrieving it without going to Blackwater.  
She needed to start making plans.

Arthur intrigued her, seeing how he stood up for Miss Tilly and Karen when they got into bother… for an outlaw, he was rather kind, Kaytie admired it.  
What confused her was his mannerisms towards her.   
With the other ladies, he was almost like a friend or an older brother at times.   
But with her one minute he was nice and the next he treated her as though she were some sort of criminal, which when it didn't annoy her, slightly amused her when she thought about the fact that he was the actual criminal. 

Still, she tried to pay it no mind and just chalked it up to him being the way he is in order to protect not just everyone else, but to protect himself.  
When he was sweet, he was oh so sweet, and though it would be improper to admit, he sent a tingly sensation through her whole body when he did certain things, something so simple as calling her name, or asking if she was okay.  
She could swear she thought she saw him watching her across the campfire sometimes, but maybe she was just looking for comfort in all the wrong places due to the situation she was in?


	11. Horseshoe Overlook

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm your huckleberry.

“Weren’t you in Blackwater a few weeks back?” Asked the man on the horse.

This was not good. 

Arthur replied, “Me? No sir, I ain't from there.”

“Oh, I definitely saw you. With a bunch of fellers.”

“Me, no, impossible.” 

“Miss Byrne? Is that you? What are you doing here?”

“Listen, buddy, c’mere for a minute,” Arthur replied whilst Kaytie tried to hide from view as the man mounted his horse.

“I saw you… come on, get.” The man said to his horse as he hopped on. 

“I don't like this.” Arthur said, shooting a pointed look towards Kaytie.

“You take the girls home, I'm gonna go have a word with our friend.” Arthur spoke, hopping on to his horse, rushing off after the man.

Somehow by the time he’d caught up to the fool, he’d managed to find himself hanging off the edge of a cliff, Arthur decided this was an opportune moment to question the man, and maybe even get him to shut up, depending on how generous he was feeling after their conversation.

Besides this man happened to have recognised Kaytie, maybe he could find out more about the mysterious woman from this man?

He walked up to the edge where the man was hanging.

“Why are you telling lies about me?” Arthur lied.

“NO, no I’m sorry, I- I got it wrong partner, I got it very wrong, now please, help me up!”

“I ain't never been in blackwater.”

“Then why are you chasing me?”

“I've got an unfortunate face.”

“Yes, Yes, me too... now pull me up. Please!” The struggling man said, “I can't hold on much longer.” 

Arthur mulled over his decision for a split second, he could easily kill this man, but then he’d never find out how he knew Kaytie.

“Alright, come on.” Arthur grabbed his hand, “But you're gonna answer a few questions for me right?” He almost threatened, loosening the grip on his hand.

“Yes! Yes, anything you say!” 

Arthur dragged the man up and allowed him a minute to compose himself.

“You alright?” Arthur questioned.

“No, I am not. I'm a mess.”

“Well, you ain't dead.”

“There is that… Jimmy Brooks.” The man held out his hand for a handshake.

“I think its best for us both if we pretend this never happened."

“Oh, I agree. You saved my life. You’re a good man, and I’m prepared to answer whatever questions you have. You know what, here's a pen, it’s one of them steel ones.”

“Why thank you, that's very kind of you,” Arthur said, taking the pen, “But I’m not a good man Jimmy Brooks, not usually. You see, I was in blackwater, I kill people, and maybe, I shoulda killed you.” He stepped closer, 

“Should I have killed you, Jimmy Brooks? Now tell me, how do you know Miss Rosa?”


	12. Horseshoe Overlook

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm your huckleberry.

Arthur was right, she was from a rich family.

Mr Brooks had proved to be quite informative.   
He knew he should tell Dutch or at least Hosea, but something inside him told him not to, he needed to keep this to himself for the time being, at least until he'd sussed her out and seen if she was worth all the inner turmoil she was causing him.

Much to the happiness of Arthur and Kaytie, Lenny came back with the news that Micah had been arrested and was to be hanged.   
Poor Lenny was shaken up by the ordeal and Arthur had taken him out for a drink.  
It was things like this that made her feel more things than she should towards the man.

“I don't think this is a good idea.”

“Why not? You never said nothin the other times.”

“I know, but the look I saw on Strauss’ face. Something is amiss.”

“You're just being paranoid, besides what's it to you?”

“I'm not.” Kaytie sighed, “at least let me accompany you, so I can suss the situation out for myself.”

“If you must, Ma'am.”

It was a quiet ride to the farm, Arthur didn't know how to act around the woman so he decided to keep his mouth shut in fear of making a fool out of himself in front of her.

“That man, he's sick Arthur.” She spoke, scoping the situation out from afar.

“What?” 

“I mean he's sick, he has the white plague.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“How can you not? Just look at him, the pale complexion, the swellings in the neck, and that hacking. You go near him like that and you're almost guaranteed to be dead by the end of the year.” 

Arthur was intrigued, for a woman, she sure knew a lot. More than most of the ones he'd met at least, most of them, other than those in the gang, just cared about finding a husband or their dresses, tea parties and such, but Kaytie, she was different. She had… substance, something a lot of people now tended to lack.

He liked that about her, and that scared him, he couldn't seem to really repress these feelings he had unless he was away from her but their situation wasn't making it easy. Even when he was away from her his mind would find its way back to her, so really it was no use.   
Right now he just needed to get this job sorted.

“Well, I have a job to do, besides I’m gonna end up dying one way or another, sooner or later.”

“Let me do it.”

“Are you crazy Miss?”

“No, but I’m guaranteed to handle it far better than you would.”

“Whilst i agree with that, there's no way I’m letting you do it, i ain’t no coward.”

"This isn't about you being a coward Mr- Arthur, this is about you being a fool.”

“Look, I'll put this here mask on, and I'll keep my distance, either way, I gotta get this done.”

“That Strauss is a rotten man.” Kaytie hissed.

“You’re tellin’ me.” Arthur agreed, walking towards the poor farmer.


	13. Chapter 13

Arthur was conflicted when it came to how he felt about the woman. He knew it was dangerous to form attachments so he tried his best not to. 

But for the life of him, he couldn't control the attachment he felt towards her. 

When he'd noticed that Javier had taken a slight interest in her due to their half-shared heritage it had caused deep pangs of jealousy to course throughout him. Particularly when they would speak Spanish with one another, as beautiful as it sounded coming from her mouth, it gave them a shared thing of their own and the jealousy Arthur felt was almost unbearable.

That's why he decided it was best he stayed away from her and tried his damndest to treat her the same as everyone else. 

She had noticed how he had begun to change with her over the past few weeks and days and it frustrated her, she wasn't entirely sure why but didn't want to ask why either, though if it continued much longer with no conversation from the man she may have just had to push aside any thought for manners and just be straight up and ask him what the issue was because she couldn’t stand the suspense and didn't have time for any crap. She would be out of here soon enough which she couldn't wait for, but she was too curious for her own good and knew if she didn't get answers it would annoy her for a long time to come. She had never been any good with mystery books either, her father had always teased her for it, she hadn’t changed in that respect. 

She decided, for now, she would stay quiet and observe his actions from afar and see what she could find out about the curious character from other gang members as discreetly as possible. 

She didn't want anyone getting the wrong idea, especially not after the previous episode in his tent he had been pleasant enough to keep quiet about; which had shocked her. 

He seemed like the gruffest an outlaw could possibly get, yet when it came to the women he was almost a perfect gentleman which Kaytie found so intriguing because it didn't fit his character at all. Her intrigue with him annoyed her somewhat because why did she have to be so intrigued with this man who treated her like she didn't even really exist most of the time?

It was beyond frustrating. 

Either way, he was nowhere near as awful as Micah, he was as ghastly as they came, no sense of manners or decorum. He disgusted her, she knew for certain she had seen him looking her way more than a few times because the feeling of his eyes roaming her body left her feeling disgusting. 

She knew Arthur didn't like him and had wanted to mention her concern, knowing he would sort it but kept quiet, not wanting anyone to think she was purposefully trying to cause trouble, she already felt like enough of a nuisance as it was.

But right now, she had more important things to think about. Like how she could get herself out of this place, get her money and avenge her family.


	14. Horseshoe Overlook

"Oh my! I'm sorry Arthur." She'd walked in on him buttoning up his shirt and my, his body was fine, toned and muscled, presumably from all the running around he did. 

"Naw. S'okay, you can come sit if you want." 

He'd just come back from running another 'errand' for Dutch and was freshening up when Kaytie popped in.

She just didn't get him. Here he was being nice again when just this morning he'd acted like he wanted nothing to do with her. When she'd seen him she'd half prepared herself for being torn a new one by the man but it seemed as though luck was on her side tonight. 

"Did you need something?" Arthur questioned, sitting down, observing the woman.

"No, I just needed a few minutes of quiet." 

"Interesting how that always brings you to my tent.” it surprised him really, he assumed if she was going to take comfort anywhere it'd either be with her fellow irishwoman and her slight luxurues or, to Arthur's displeasure, her close fellow Spaniard Javier. But she didnt seem lkke the improper type, especially given the way she composed herself. He'd seen the way Javier looked at her and flirted with her and it was safe to say it had riled him up something rotten.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realise you were in."

She didn't realise he was in? Was this a regular thing?  
"No, it's fine. Are you alright? You seem sad..."

"I just miss my home a little. My things, my friends and," she paused to compose herself, "my family." She whispered. 

He paused, considering her for a moment, he felt kinda bad for her after the information Mr Brooks had given him, he wasn't good at comforting people so instead, he diverted the conversation.  
"If you don't mind me asking, how old are you, Miss Rosa?"

"Please, call me Kaytie. And I'm 19, what about yourself?"

Arthur was genuinely surprised at that. It made him feel a little guilty, for the way he'd been looking at her. He'd been trying to put a stop to it but she was too beautiful. Though, being 13 years her senior, she'd never go for him. Still, a man could dream. 

"19? Wow, that's mighty young. I'm 31."  
31? She'd expected him to be older by the way he talked but maybe that was just down to having a hard life? Still, he was very handsome. 

"Why does that surprise you so?" She was curious.

"You don't look 19, I don't mean that in a bad way, you look young but, you don't act 19." Arthur tried to cover for himself. He couldn't help it though. She was gorgeous, he'd never seen such a well endowed 19-year-old before and his thoughts made him want to wash his brain out with soap but he couldn't help it. She was stirring too many things inside him. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat trying to sidetrack the conversation. 

"Tell me miss- Kaytie, how does someone so young know so much about, well... About everything?"

She did know a lot, about wounds, horses, food and- about well, everything. It amazed him.  
She was obviously well educated, but there was more to it, no girl he’d ever met, educated or not, was this learned.

"Some things you're taught, others you learn the hard way."

Such a simple but meaningful response.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!  
Let me know what you think, any improvements or suggestions?


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